South Carolina Supreme Court orders 14 church properties be given back to The Episcopal Church

Apr 24, 2022 by Jill

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post:

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that properties held by 14 churches that left The Episcopal Church over its ordination of gay clergy and acceptance of same-sex unions more than a decade ago shall be returned to the denomination and its affiliated diocese in the state.

The court ruled that 14 of the 29 parishes listed in a lawsuit that broke away from The Episcopal Church and later joined the Anglican Church in North America must hand over their properties to The Episcopal Church because they expressly agreed to an Episcopal Church law that places all parish properties in a trust belonging to the national church, the denomination said in a statement.

The other 15 parishes didn’t expressly agree to the canon, the court said.

“Their decisions will no doubt bring joy to many in our diocese, but for others, there will be grief in the possible finality of a loss they have been feeling for nearly 10 years,” the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, said. “We now walk into a bright future, one in which we will focus on the reconciling power of the Gospel to transform injustice, to heal the brokenhearted, and to build God’s beloved community.”

The 14 parishes include: Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant; Good Shepherd, Charleston; Holy Comforter, Sumter; Holy Cross, Stateburg; Holy Trinity, Charleston; St. Bartholomew’s, Hartsville; St. David’s, Cheraw; St. Luke’s, Hilton Head; St. Matthew’s, Fort Motte; St. James, Charleston; St. John’s, Johns Island; St. Jude’s, Walterboro; Trinity, Myrtle Beach; and Old St. Andrew’s, Charleston.

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